Carboxy methyl cellulose. CMC is a chemical stabilizer used to make ice-creams creamy and fluffy.

Candled peel

Rinds of lemon, orange, lime and other fruits boiled in syrup and preserved. These peels are mostly used for a variety of cakes, buns, etc.

Caramelise

Browning sugar on slow heat till it reaches an amber colour or an almost nut-brown colour.

Caraway

Aromatic seeds (sometimes called cake Zeera) used for seed cakes and other varieties and also at times for sweet buns. The plant is of the parsley family.

Cardamom

An aromatic spice. The smaller variety with yellowish pods is generally used for Indian and Western types of sweets, cakes, etc. It is also used along with other spices for curries, pulaos, and biryanis. The larger variety with dark brown pods is used entirely for curries, pulaos, and biryanis, either whole or powdered.

Casserole

An oven-proof dish with a lid, used for stewing/baking neat, vegetables, rice dishes, etc. The preparation is also known as a Rice Casserole or Cheese Tomato Casserole, etc, and is served straight from the dish.

Celery

A salad plant. If can be eaten raw, as a dressing for salads and sandwiches, or as a fIavouring in soups.

Chowder

A thick American soup made of meat or fish and vegetables with spices. It is almost like a stew.

Cinnamon

The inner tender bark of the cinnamon tree. This aromatic spice is powdered and used both in sweets (cakes and puddings) and savouries as well as in curries. In pulaos, cinnamon is mostly used whole instead of being powdered.

Citric acid

Used in clarifying sugar syrup and also in preventing the syrup from crystallizing on cooling. It should be used in very small quantity as otherwise the syrup will taste sour.

Clove

An aromatic spice used in some puddings, curries, gravies, soups, sauces, etc.

Cochineal

A scarlet red food colour available in bottles in a liquid form extracted from dried cochineal insects.

Core

To remove the heart of an apple or pear. A special gadget called a corer can do this without the fruit being cut. If a corer is not available, the fruit is usually cut into fours and then cored with the help of a knife.

Coriander seed

A small, round, yellowish seed which is powdered and used mostly in curries, pulaos, biryanis, etc, for its sweet, appetising aroma. The fresh green leaves are used for garnishing a variety of dishes and also for making chutney.

Cornflour

A refined starch made from maize. It is used in a variety of food preparations, e.g. puddings, sweets like Bombay Halwa, etc.

Cream (to)

To beat or soften fat till light and fluffy.

Croutons

Small square pieces of bread, fried or toasted and used for garnishing soups.

Cumin seeds

Seeds of the caraway family. Two types are used in Indian cookery, white and black (known as Shahi Zeera). The latter is more pungent, hence used sparingly in pulaos and rich curries. The former is used more often and in a large variety of cooking. It is used both whole and powdered.

Currant

Small seedless dried grape, red, blue or black in colour, used in cakes sweets ans farsans. The black variety is generally used for jams, jellies, pies, etc.

Cut in

A method of mixing solid fat in flour. Generally used in pastry making. The mixing is done with the help of a knife which "cuts" the fat into the flour. The mixture should appear coarse.

To remove the black or white thread-like veins from prawns and shrimps.

Dice

To cut into very small, even cubes.

Disjoint

To cut chicken or meat into smaller pieces at the bone joints.

Dot

To place bits of butter or other solid fats or cream on the food surface.

Double cream

Cream that has been allowed to form on the milk for 24 hours. For single cream the time allowed is 12 hours.

Dredge

To cover food all over with a dry ingredient like sugar, breadcrumbs, etc.

Dress (to)

Clean, pare, trim, decorate, etc.. A dressed chicken is a chicken whose feathers are plucked and the bird is cleaned. Dressing a salad means decorating the salad with fruits, nuts, cream, etc. and also tossing it in a salad dressing like mayonnaise, French dressing, etc.

Powdered and used in curry powders. The seeds are also used for seasoning some vegetable and dal preparations. They should be used sparingly as they have a peculiar bitter taste and flavour. The fresh green leaves are cooked and eaten as spinach.

Fillet

A piece of meat, chicken, or fish without the bones. Also an undercut of a loin of meat.

Flan

A Fresh custard or open fruit tart.

Folding

A method used for mixing certain food items. It is done very gently and carefully by a lifting and dropping motion, without disturbing or dispersing the air incorporated in the mixture.